Article handling apparatus



Sept. 24,1946. G. GOEBEL- l-:rAL

I ARTICLE HANDLING lAPARA'LUS originalriled oct. 17, 1938 s sheets-sheet 1 .MQW ilirllrillnl 11:1-: .illihnnwlnwvvnwhunwuuuhwlunnuunuuu. l, LWHHH im MII w uuhuu-mmuhnnwnbnHHHWWWWNWWMWN NN l. l "Ulm ..-1: Liri-. vll..

` G. GOEBEL ETAL ARTIGLE HANDLLNG APPARATUS a sheets-'sheet 2 Original Filed Oct. 1'7',` 1938 @earge Goee Sept. 24, 1946. G. GOEBEL ErAL l ARTICLE HANDLING APARATUS original Filed oct. 1'7, '193s 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 .War/2g .7.7.

.Sept 41.9.46. G GO'E-'BEL y *2,408,619

v .ARTICLE HANDLING APIARATUS original Filed'oct. 17,1938 a sheets-sheet 4' Sept. 24, 1946.

ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS Original F'iled Oct.. 17, 1938 8 Sheets-*Sheet 5 G. Gorslsnl. ETAL 2,408,019

Sept. 24, 1946. G. GOEBEL ErAL ARTICLE' HANDLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet v6 original Filed oct. 17, 1.938

Sept 24, 1945 G. GoEBEL ET AL 2,408,019

ART I CLE HANDLING APPARATUS -OriginalAFiled Octl. 17, 1938 {Sheets-Sheet 7 Sept. 24, 1946. G. GOEBEL.' ET Al. 2,408,019

ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS Original Filed Oct); 17, 1938 8 Sheets-Sheet 8` Patented Sept. 24, 1946 ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS George Goebel, deceased, late of Baltimore, Md., by Helene Goebel, administratrix, Baltimore, Md., and Harry A. Rau, Baltimore, Md., assignors to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of New York Original application October 17, 1938, Serial No.

235,496. Divided and this application November 12, 1942, Serial No. 465,380

7 Claims. l

The present invention relates to an article handling apparatus. The application is a division of the application of `George Goebel and Harry A. Rau for Coating apparatus, rfiled October 1'7, 1938, Serial No. 235,496 and issued November 9, 1943, as Patent No. 2,334,087.

An object of the invention is the provision of a means to transfer articles from one supporting means to another supporting means without interrupting the travel of the article and without marring it in any way.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of such construction that a can or other article may be so handled and supported that it can be thoroughly coated over its entire exterior surface, including its mouth or other aperture, during passage through a single apparatus.

The invention is described and illustrated herein as applied to the handling of cone-top cans such as are used for packaging beer or other beverages and, more particularly, for the handling of such cans during the coating of the same. However, it will be clear that the invention may be used for the handling of numerous types of articles while they are being treated for various purposes, or simply to transfer them from one conveyor element to another. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a drier including a heating area and a cooling area through which a conveyor may successively move coated articles and which is of such construction that it will occupy a minimum area.

Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the present apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the infeed or spraying portion of the apparatus;

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the article transfer mechanism;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the infeed. or spraying portion of the apparatus;

Figure 6 is a detail vertical sectional View showing the transfer drum in side elevation;

Figure '7 is a transverse vertical sectional View on the line 'l-'l of Figure 5 Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view on the line 8-8 of FigureZ Figure 9 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 5;

Figure 10 isa transverse vertical sectional view on the line Ill-l0 of 'Figure 5;

Figure 11 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View on the line II-Il of Figure 3;

Figure 12 is a transversevertical sectional view on the line l2-l2 of Figure 5; l

Figure 13 is a view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure l2;

Figure 14 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line lll-i4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 15 is a sectional View on the line lli- I5 of Figure 14.

'Ihe structure and operation of the present apparatus may be generally described as follows: The embodiment of the apparatus disclosed herein is primarily intended for handling cone-topped cans C during the application of lacquer thereto. Such cans have a cone-shaped top wall and a mouth or pouring spout formed to receive a cap of the crown type. The machine may be generally described as comprising two portions, namely, an inieed and spraying portion I8 (Figures 1 and 3), and an oven or drier portion i9 (Figures 1, 2, and 8).

Cans to be coated are delivered to the infeed and spraying portion I8 of the machine through an infeed chute 2li (Figures 3 and 5), each can falling into a pocket of an infeed spider 2|. As shown in Figures 3 and 12, the upper run of the main conveyor 22 of the apparatus moves alongside the infeed spider 2l and each can C moving down upon the spider Will be forced laterally of the latter by an aligned reciprocable rod of a can seating mechanism 23 so that the mouth of the can will be brought into engagement with an aligned supporting element, head, or stud 24 on the adjacent side of the conveyor 22, the mouth of the can then tting snugly about the supporting element.

As described in said original application, each supporting device or stud 24 may be xed to a spindle 25 which is rotatable in the conveyor chain 22, and immediately after the can has been positioned on the supporting stud or head 24 a pinion or sprocket 26 midway of the spindle 25 may come into engagement with the upper run of an endless chain 2l (Figure 5) moving below the conveyor 22 and in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the latter. As a result, the spindle 25 and the can C carried thereby may be rotated on their longitudinal axes. During such rotation the can may move beneath a pair of spray guns 28 and 28a (Figures 3 and 12), one of which is positioned to direct lacquer upon the bottom wall of the can, the other gun being mounted to direct lacquer upon the side wall, cone top and the exterior portion of the fifteen minutes.

i mouth of the can. Since the can is rotating on its own axis during the spraying, its exterior will be entirely coated with the lacquer.

If the above spraying is performed, the aligned rod of the can seating mechanism 23 may be in contact with the center of the bottom of the can while it occurs, but the rod will move out of contact with the can when the spraying is concluded, the can remaining upon the supporting element or head 24 to be carried through the drier portion I9. The conveyor 22 moves alternately back and forth in the drier I9 as indicated in Figure 2 so that the can will be subjected to drying treatment for approximately As indicated in Figures 2 and 8, throughout the initial and greater part of its travel in the drier I9 the conveyor 22 moves through the upper part of the drier, where it will be subjected to the action of heated air, but the lowermost run of the chain in the drier I9 moves through a cooling chamber 30 so that each can will be fairly cool when it leaves the drier. VVAs indicated in Figure 11, the lower run of conveyor 22 which moves from the lower portion of the drier I9 will move about a pocketed spider 3| and while the chain is moving about this spider, the Cans C will be removed from the supporting heads 2-4 of the conveyor 22 and will be positioned upon a transfer drum 32 (Figures 3 and 11) As generally-illustrated in Figure 3 and as shown in detail in Figures 9 and 11, drum 32 is provided with a plurality of axially extending grooves in its periphery, in which the cans are received. While rotating with theV drum, the cans will be moved to the far ends of the grooves so that their conical ends will be positioned in aligned pockets of a disc 33 which rotates with transfer drum 32. After such movement with the drum 32 and disc 33, the cans willbe re- -ceived in pockets of a spider 34 formed of a pair carriers 35 are of sufficiently large internal dil and the cans will be moved into the carriers 35 by a fixed inwardly inclined guide element or strip 35a shown in plan in Figure 3.

As indicated in Figures 3 and 12, shortly after a can is positioned in one of the carriers 35, the section of the chain 22 upon which that carrier is positioned will move over the previously mentioned oppositely moving endless chain 2'I so that thespindle 25 with which the carrier 35 is associated will be rotated, causing the can to rotate. If the cans are being coated, they will move `beneath a spray gun 33 which will direct lacquer upon thev rotating lip and inner surface of the mouth of the can while the cans are being vthus rotated. In any event, rotation of the can will cease after its spindle 25 has moved out of engagement with the endless chain 21, and the can will again move through the drierl I9. As stated above, the fconveyor 22 moves alternately back and forth within the drier I9, as illustrated in Figure 2, so that the can will again be in the drier for approximately fifteen minutes.l Also,

during all of this travel through the oven, the

The can will be removed from its carrier 35 by a can removing mechanism 38 positioned at the opposite end of theroven from the infeed and spraying mechanism I8, as shown in Figure 1. As lbest shown in Figures 14 and 15, the mechanism 38 comprises a rotary wheel provided with axially projecting suction plungers` 39. The plungers 39 are successively brought into contact with the mouths of the cans C within the carriers 35 and draw the cans into a pocketed discharge wheel 49 from which they may be removed by any suitable mechanism.

The detailed construction of the various mechanisms of the apparatus is set forth below.

horizontal plane, the lower end of the chute ter--4 minating above the rotary infeed spider 2I. As best shown in Figures 12 and 13, the infeed spider2i is formed of two discs 50 secured to a hub 5I keyed on a shaft 52 journaled between the side frame elements 511 and 55. Y

Shaft 52 is rotated byreason of the fact that it Vcarries a large sprocket wheel 58 Vformed of spaced discs having notches 59 in'their peripheries, which notches` are engaged by the spindles 25 on main conveyor chain 22 as the main conveyor chain moves over the wheel 58 by adrive imparted thereto as hereinafter described.

As part of the can seating mechanism 23, shaft 52 also has a pair of spaced sprocketl wheels 50 secured theretopreferably on a common hub 69a, and a pair of relatively spaced sprocket chains 6l ,move about these sprocket wheels, and also about a second pair of sprocket wheels 62 positioned somewhat further along the frame of the machine as shown in Figure 5, so that the upper run of the two ch'ainsil will be parallel to the upper run of main conveyor chain 22.

At the moment that a can C is positioned inV one set of the pockets provided in the peripheries of the discs 5E) of infeed spider 2I, one of a series of rods or plungers 63 each reciprocably mounted in the two laterally spaced endless chains 6I will be opposite the central portion of the bottom of a can, as best shown in Figures 3, 12`, and 13. As illustrated in detail in Figures 12 and 13, the rod 63 'is urged toward the bottom of the can by a spring 64 surrounding the rod and positioned between the adjacent chain 6I and the head of an angled bar 65, which angled bar extends along the rod and back over the chains 6I to the opposite and rear end of rod 53. vThe 'rear end of the rod 63 has a roller 66 journaled thereon, which roller engages a cam track 611 extending about an arcuate plate 68 xed to the framework of the apparatus.

As indicated in Figure 12, each spring 64 urges the corresponding rod 63 toward the spider 2I and during movement of a rod 53 along the lower run of the path of travel of the chains 6I, each spring 64 is free to move its rod to its extreme inward position (the left-hand position of Figure `12), thismovement being limited by the contact of the screw 65a carried by each bar 65 with the rear side of the adjacent chain 6I. However, when the roller 65 of the rod engages the cam shoulder 61, the rod will be retracted through the chains 6I so that its inner end will be clear of a can C just being positioned in the infeed spiderI 2 I. Immediately thereafter, the roller will move off the upper and inwardly inclined end 69 of cam shoulder 61 so that the inner end of the rod 63 will contact with the bottom wall of the can which has been deposited in the pocket of the infeed spider 2 I. The spring 64 is of suicient strength to slide th'e can through the pocket of the infeed spider 2 I to bring the mouth of the can onto the aligned can supporting head 24 of the main conveyor chain 22.

As is described in said original application, and as is best shown herein in Figure 13, each can supporting head 24 is pinned to one of the spindles included in the main .conveyor chain 22, and the outer end of each head 24 is of sulciently reduced diameter, as indicated at 12, to enable the mouth of the canA to freely slide upon the head. However, the reduced portion 12 is of sufliciently large diameter to` prevent the can from tilting suiiciently far to fall from the same. The inner end of the reduced portion 12 terminates in an outwardly facing shoulder 13, which limits the inward movement of the can C with respect to the head.

After the main conveyor 22 moves a very short distance in the direction indicated' by the arrow B in Figure 3, each' can C will be freed from the infeed spider 2|, and the. presser rod 63 aligned with each can will be carried by its similarly moving supporting chains 6| away from the stationary cam 61 so that the roller 66 of that rod will be entirelyV disengaged from the cam 61 and the rod will be held in contact with the bottom of the can by its spring 64, as indicated in Figure 3'. If the can is being coated, the sprocket wheel 26 xed intermediate the length of the can supporting spindle 25 will contact with the sprocket chain 21 (Figure 12) which moves in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of main conveyor 22.

Since the presser rod 63 is at this moment in contact with the bottom of the can C, the can will be held in a substantially horizontal plane while the spindle 25 which carries the same is e.

being rotated at a fairly rapid speed of rotation by chain 21. 1f the can is being coated, it will move beneath the two spray guns 28 and 28a supported from a cross frame 90 while it is still rotating; The spray guns may be supplied with lacquer under pressure from any suitable source,

and spray gun 28 is positioned at such an angle, as shown in Figures. 3 and 112, that it will direct a spray of lacquerl against the bottom wall of the can and. also against the side wall of the can. The spray' gun 28a is supported at such ar.. angle by the frame 90 th'at it. will direct lacquer against Athe conical top portion of the can and somewhat about the` exterior of the can. mouth. Due to the rapid rotation of the can during the spraying, lacquer will be deposited over all of the above described exterior surfaces of the can. Also, by reason of the fact that the rotation of the cans continues for a brief time after each can has passed out of the range of the spray guns, the lacquer will be freely owed over such exterior portion of the cans to be evenly distributed thereon. Due to the fact that the can is supported by its mouth, as indicated in Figure-13, the spray gun 28a. may not project lacquer over the entire lip surface of the can.

As indicated in Figure 3, the presser rod 63 will be retracted from the can by reason of the fact that the roller 66 on the presser rod will comeY into contactwith' a fixed cam shoulder 95 arranged concentric with the axis of the sprocket wheels 62, cam shoulder being of such conformationA that it will retract each presser rod 63 from a can bottom as the presser rod moves downwardly and about the sprocket wheels 62 with the rod carrying sprocket chains 6|.

While the cans are moving to the oven or drier I9 on the main conveyor 22, the presser rods 63v will move through the lower run of .travel of the can seating mechanism chains 6| to again ride along the stationary can shoulder 61 to engage another can newly positioned upon the ineed spider 2 I.

The drier mechanism As best shown in Figure 2, when entering the drier I9, the main conveyor chain 22 moves upwardly about a guide sprocket |00 and then over an upper guide sprocket |0| to run in a horizontal path to an upper sprocket. |02 at the rear end of the oven. The chain then alternately moves about vertically spaced idler sprockets and shafts |03 at the rear end of the drier and driven sprockets |04 at the front of the oven so that the chain follows a tortuous course through the heating chamber |05 which comprises the main portion ofthe drier I9. As shown in Figure 8, the shafts |04 are interconnected by sprocket chains |06 outside the drier, the lowermost shaft |04 being driven by a sprocket chain |01 from a motor |08'. Shaft |0| is geared to the uppermost shaft |04. The shafts |02 and |00 are idler shafts.

At the lower end rear portion of the chamber |05, the conveyor 22 leaves the oven through an opening ||0 and passes about a large sprocket drum forming part of the can removal or outfeed mechanism. 'Ihe cans carried upon the supporting heads 24 of the main conveyor 22 will not be removed by the mechanism 38, but will continue to move with .the conveyor chain 22 through the lowermost and cooling chamber ||2 of the drier I9, the conveyor moving directly through this chamber andv leaving the same through the front opening H3.

The oven or drier I9 is of such relatively large proportions as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 that that though the conveyor 22 is driven at sufficient speed to handle incoming cans at the rate of one hundred and forty per minute, nevertheless, approximately fteen minutes will elapse between the entrance of `a can upon the conveyor chain 22 into the drier I9 and the exit of that can from the drier through Ithe opening I3.

The heating chamber |05 of the oven is supplied with heated air from a heating apparatus generally indicated by the numeral ||5 (Figures l, 2 and` 8) the heated air being forced into the oven by a blower I I6. Such air flows through an l inlet duct |`I1 to a distributing duct II8 which extends the length of the bottom of the oven and is provided with suitable openings in its upper wall to permit ilow of heated air therefrom at various points along the length of .the oven.

A suction fan IIB communicates with an ex-V haust duct |21? positioned in the upper portion of the heating cham-ber |05, the duct |20 drawing air from the entire length of the oven. The withdrawn air and fumes may be returned through a duct I2| to the suction side of the blower ||6 to be re-delivered to the oven, or may be at least partially exhausted from the apparatus through an outlet duct I2 I'a.

As indicated above, the extreme lower run of the conveyor 22 moves through the cooling chamber H2 at .the bottom of the drier 29. Chamber I2 has a duct |22 communicating therewith at v-arious points spaced along one side wall, which duct is supplied with cool air or air at normal temperature by a blower |23 driven by a motor |24. The air entering the chamber I2 from duct |22 may move directly through the chamber to exhaust through the opposite opening and opposite side |25 of this chamber, or may be conveyed away by a suitable duct.

By the above arrangement, the coating of lacquer applied to a can C will be completely dried and hardened and the can is at normal temperature when it leaves the drier I9.

Mechanism for transferring cans to opposite side v of conveyor After leaving the drier I9, a canfmounted on a can supporting head 24 and moving with the lower run of the conveyor 22 will move to the left as viewed in Figures and 11 so that the can will be carried beneath (and entirely clear of) the infeed-spider 2| to the extreme end portion of the run of the conveyor 22, which encircles a large double sprocket wheel |26 best shown in Figure 10. Sprocket wheel |26 is fixed to a shaft |21 suitably journaled in the side frames of the apparatus and, as shown in Figure 3, is geared as at |28 to a shaft |29 at the extreme end of the apparatus which is driven through a series of sprocket chains |29a from the motor |08.

The two sprocket chains of which the main conveyor 22 is formed will be engaged by the two sprocket wheels of double sprocket |26 so that the spindles 25 will be maintained horizontal.

Shaft |21 has the spider 3| Xed thereto alongside the sprocket wheel |26 and the spider 34 is fixed to shaft |21 at the opposite side of sprocket |26. As shown in Figure 10, as a spindle 25 moves adjacent double sprocket |26, the can C carried by the supporting head 24 of that spindle will move into a pocket of spider 3| and rotation of the spider with shaft |21 will move the can upwardly as shown in Figure 11, Just before moving upwardly about the spider 3|, `the side .wall of each can will contact with a pair of guide strips |30 (Figures 9 and l1) which will force the can to lie in a horizon-tal plane.

' A lateral guide bar |35 is positioned adjacent the guide bars |35, guide bar |35 being inclinedV outwardly toward the plane cf the spider 3|, so that as the cone top wall of a can comesin contact therewith as indicated in Figure l0, the mouth of the can will be moved out of engagement with the can supporting head 24 and, as

shown in Figure 1l, the can will merely be supported in the pockets of spider 3| by the bottom guide strips |30.

f As illustrated in Figure ll, the pockets of the spider 3| are aligned with grooves or pockets |3| in the transfer drum 32 and a pair of spaced l*helical guide bars |32 surround the periphery drum 32 and between the two discs of which spider 3| is formed.

. By the above arrangement, each can willI be freed from its supporting head 2 4 immediately after it comes in contact with the lower guide f|3 and lateral guide |35 and the cans will-then be moved up the lower guide |30, free of the -conveyor 22,- byvengagement of the pockets of will move upwardly with the transferV drum 32.

A pipe |40 of helical form also encircles the periphery of transfer drum 32, this pipe being positioned somewhat to the side of the helical guide bars |32 nearest the plane of spider 32,

and between these guide bars vand the periphery of the transfer drum (Figure 7). Pipe |40 has apertures therein on its surface facing along the grooves |3| and` the pipe'is supplied with compressedair from a suitable source through a line |4|. The guide bar 35a, also of generally helical form, is positioned on the side of the guide'bars E32 opposite pipe |40, and between guide bar |32 and the periphery of the transfer drum. The guide bars |32 and 35a and the pipe |40 are suitably supported by brackets adjacent the drum 32 as illustrated in Figures 9 and ll. Y

By the above construction of guide elements about the transfer drum 32, as soon as a can is completely freed from the .spider 3|, it willbe forced to the left (Figure 9) by the jets of compressed air issuing from the pipe |40.` Such movement of the can along the grooves |3| .will cause the can Ato be moved out of the vertical plane of thc spider 3| and into `the plane of spider 34 (Figure 10). It will be observed that the provision of the helical guide bar 35a opposite the compressed air pipe |43 .will cause cans to be moved along the grooves |3| of the transfer drum by a continuous and gradual movement. That is to say, there can be no sudden movement 0f the cans along the grooves such as might cause the mouths of the cans to be dented.l

Each can will remain upon vthe transfer drum 32 during one full revolution of the same, and, as best indicated in Figure 9, at the time that this one revolution is completed, the mouth of the can will project from the far edge of the drum and will partly lie in the spider or disc `33. In other words, as indicated in Figure 3, .each can enters the drum 32 directly in the plane of the spider 3| but, because it moves in a helical path, leaves the drum in the plane of spider 34,

somewhat as indicated at A in Figure 3. -At this Y moment', also, the can will ride beneath an arcuate guide bar |45 which overlies the can receiving spider 34 and the'can willY be strippedfrom drum 32 and placed in an aligned pocket of spider 34. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, .the substantially helical guide bar 35a which surrounds transfer drum 32 has its outfeedend |43a extending away from the transferdrum' 32 with the extreme end portion thereof returnI bent toward the spider 34 with the result that as upwardly moving cans are removed `from the transfer spider by fixed arcuate guide |45, the cans will simultaneously be moved axially of the spider 34 and into cup-shaped holders 35 provided on the main conveyor 22 or may be supported by other conveyor means.

After a can has been positioned Vin the cupshaped carrier or supporting means 35 as illustrated in Figure 3, the movement of the main conveyor 22 toward the drier will'bring the projecting cone-shaped portion of the can beneath the spray gun 36, as shown in Figure 12. Gun

36 is supported, at suenan angie that it win direct ment of the endless chain 2l beneath the same and in engagement with the sprocket E6 which is secured to the spindle.

After' the spindle has moved cut of engagement with the endless chain 2'! and from beneath spray gun 36, the can C will be carried into the -drier I9, following the same course of travel that it followed when supported upon the supporting head 24. However, during the present movement through the drier, the can will move only through the heated portion |65 of the drier; that is, when the carrier 35 leaves the rear end of the oven through the opening I6, the can will be removed by the can-removing apparatus 38, illustrated in detail in Figures 14 and 15.

As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the portion of the conveyor 22 which moves from the drier through the opening H6 moves about a sprocket |56 fixed to a shaft |5| journaled in suitable bearings indicated at |52. Shaft also carries the outfeed spider 49, as well as a wheel 38, having suction elements 39 spaced about its periphery, the suction elements 39 being of rod-like form and reciprocable in the wheel 38 on lines parallel with the aXis of the wheel, and one suction element 39 being aligned with each carrier 35 on the conveyor 22 and also with pockets on the outfeed spider 46. The outfeed spider 40 is positioned between the conveyor sprocket wheel |59 and the wheel 38.

Each suction element 39 has a roller |55 provided thereon, which roller moves in a circular cam track |56 formed on the periphery of a xed cylindrical supporting element |51. The cam track |56 is of such form that when a suction member or rod 39 is at top dead center position on the wheel 38, that suction element will be positioned inwardly so that its mouth 6U, preferably formed of rubber, will be in engagement with the mouth of the can C supported in the aligned carrier 35. As the wheel 38, outfeed spider 49 and conveyor sprocket |59 rotate together in the direction of the arrow in Figure 15, the suction element 39 will be retracted until it has entirely withdrawn the can from the carrier 35 as shown at the lower portion of Figure 14. This movement will be completed at about the time that the can and suction element reach bottom dead center position (Figure During its continuing travel between this lower position and the upper position, the suction element 39 may be I moving outwardly again toward the spider 49.

Each suction element 39 has a tube 6| extending between the bore |62 of the tube and a ring |63, which ring is rotatable upon a manifold |64 fixed to the bearing housing at the adjacent end of shaft |5|. As shown in Figure 14, the ring |63 is provided with an angled passage |63@ for each tube |6I, this passage opening to the inner side of the ring so that it may communicate with an arcuate suction passage |65 formed in the xed ring |65a and communicating with a suction pump through a line |66. As shown in Figure 14, the arcuate suction passage |65 is so positioned in the ring |65a that a tube ISI will communicate therewith during the time that the corresponding suction head 39 is approaching top dead center position with respect to shaft |5I and that head is therefore moving outwardly toward the aligned can mouth (by action of cam track |56) and until the suction head 10 39 has been retracted by the cam track `|56 a, suicient distance to draw the can C from the carrier 35 into the aligned pocket of the outfeed spider 40. The passage |64 of that suction head will at that time move into communication with a second passage |10 in the fixed ring |64, which passage opens to the atmosphere. By this latter arrangement, the suction acting upon the can through the head 39 will be terminated and the suction head freed from the mouth of the can so that the can will be free to drop from the outfeed spider 46. A collar xed to shaft |5| includes pins |'l2 which extend into ring |63 vso that the latter will rotate with respect to fixed ring |65a. Springs |13 positioned between-collar and ring |63 hold the latter in close engagement with iixed ring |65a.

The operation of the entire apparatus has been set forth in the general description and operation of the apparatus at the opening portion of this specication. Figure 1 illustrates how two apparatus of the present invention may be positioned side by side in such a way as to conserve floor space, namely, by having the drier blower and motor of one drier I9 offset with respect to the blower and motor of the other drier, and with these blowers, motors, et cetera, positioned between the two apparatus.

It will be understood that the various mechanisms described as forming part of the present apparatus may be used either together, as described, or as portions of other article handling apparatus.

The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

We claim:

l. In combination, a conveyor, means extending laterally from said conveyor to support an article, a rotary article supporting members spaced laterally from said conveyor, a moving element positioned at the opposite side of said member from said conveyor, plungers. reciprocable in said last-named element adapted to engage articles carried by said member, and means to reciprocate said plungers to engage an article carried by said article supporting member and move it vinto engagement withthe article supporting means on said conveyor.

2. In combination, an endless conveyor including means extending laterally therefrom to Support articles, moving means spaced laterally from said conveyor to support articles in alignment with said supporting means on the conveyor, and stationary guide means associated `with said moving means and positioned in the path of movement of articles carried by the `latter to engage the articles and move them from said moving means and into engagement with said supporting means on the conveyor.

3. In combination, an endless conveyor having means projecting from one side thereof to support an article, means projecting laterally from the other side of said conveyor to support an article, and means including an element moving with said conveyor to remove an article from said first-named supporting means and position it upon said last-named supporting means.

fi. In combination, an endless conveyor having means projecting from one side thereof to support an article, means projecting laterally from the other side of said conveyor to support an article, and a rotary drum adjacent said conveyor and of a width sulicient to support articles in the plane of both of said article supporting means on said conveyor, and means to remove articles from said conveyor, position them on said drum, vmove the articles transversely of said drum and reposition the same upon the other article supporting means of said conveyor.

5. The combination in an apparatus for suc- Y cessively treating diferentportions of an article,

of an article transfer means comprising a rotary drum having grooves in its periphery extending parallel to its axis, means toposition an article in a groove of said drum adjacent one end thereof, and xed helical guide means encircling said drum to engage an article positioned thereonA and move the same tothe opposite edge of said drum,

vsaid fixed guide means including a jet member to direct fluid against the article to move the same across the Width of said drum.

6. In combination, an article conveying element, mean-s to support an article carried by said element, an article supporting element movable co-axially with said element, a suction exerting article engaging device movable co-axially with said elements, and means to move Isaid device into engagement with an article on said conveying element to exert a suction eiect on the article and then move saidv device to Withdraw the article from said conveying element to said supporting element.

7. In combination, conveyor means, a series of article supporting members projecting in one direction from said conveyor means, a second series of article supporting members projecting in ani 

